- Banking on Crash Diets. Having soup and fruit day for a week sounds like a terrific recipe for losing weight, but it might not actually work. Crash diets typically slash your calorie intake drastically. In bringing down your calorie intake, you’re also training your metabolism to slow down. Once off the diet, your body will burn calories more slowly than before so the crash diet will actually become unproductive.
2. Missing Breakfast. It seems like a good idea, especially if you’re working, to just skip the morning meal. Though it will cut your calorie intake it will make you feel hungry all day. Thus the chances of unhealthy snacking and overindulging at lunch become greater. A high-fibre, high-protein breakfast can curb hunger for the rest of the day.
3. Not Snacking at All. Instead of thoughtless munching, opt for mindful snacking. Awareness is the key. People who snack on small meals maintain healthier bodies and are more likely to lose weight easily. Snacking keeps your metabolism functioning. An ideal snack like a cupful of nuts or an apple or cucumber keeps you feeling full for quite some time.
4. Drinking up Calories. Most of us focus mainly on what we’re eating when we diet, neglecting to take note of what we’re drinking also. Tea, coffee, packed juices and sodas are high on calorie count. Liquid calories don’t curb hunger, so you’re not going to eat less after a high calorie drink. Also, make sure you’re not dehydrated. Water is essential for burning calories. Add a glass of water to every snack and meal.
5. Abandoning Dairy Products. Totally going off milk and cheese may not give you the benefit you assume it will. Research shows that calcium helps the body burn fat. This cannot be replicated by calcium supplements. Non-fat or low-fat dairy should still be part of your food intake.